When We First Met
by Bridgr6
Summary: A series of short stories that detail some of the early first meetings of Mac and his team.
1. Chapter 1

This is the first of hopefully a couple of stories of how each team member met Mac. I love writing Mac and Sid's friendship so I wrote this one first and also I wanted to do this in order, so Stella will be next. Enjoy and please review your thoughts and suggestions. I will be updating Blinded in the next couple of days so be on the look out for that!

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1998

"If you just look at the case, you'll see what I'm talking about," Sid pleaded to the head of the New York Crime Lab, Robinson Walters. The gray-haired older man shook his head as he remained focused on the large lunch in front of him that was sure to clog his arteries even further.

"Dr. Hammerback, I've got more pressing issues to deal with than your side projects," he waved a dismissive hand. Sid felt a ball of anger build in his chest.

"This isn't a side project, it's a case," Sid tried to keep his voice even as he watched the detective stuff another handful of fries into his mouth.

"That has already been solved…by your superior might I add," Walters raised an eyebrow in confidence. "Do you like to make a habit of undermining your boss's work?" he asked. Sid gritted his teeth and kept his mouth shut. He didn't doubt Dr. Kilmar's work…Sid just swayed outside the box that the older doctor confined himself to. It was easier to call the death a suicide than to dig deeper. All he needed was Detective Walters's sign off to run a couple more tests. He knew it was murder and he needed to prove it because the young woman in the morgue deserved justice. Sid had only been working at the morgue and with the Crime Lab for two weeks and found he didn't like the way the detectives dragged their feet or the way his fellow medical examiners skipped steps to come to simple conclusions that left no room for the truth.

Sid was about to open his mouth to say exactly how he felt when he heard the door behind him open.

"Detective Wal-" the man at the door stopped as he realized he had interrupted. "I'll come back later," the man said and turned to leave.

"No, Detective Taylor, wait," Walters called him back. The man slowly turned back, a forced smile more akin to a grimace plastered on his face. As Sid got a closer look at the younger detective he realized he had seen him around the building a couple of times.

Detective Taylor's eyes flickered to Sid and he nodded in greeting as he stepped further into the room, uncertainty written across his face.

"We're in need of a third opinion here," Walters said through a mouthful of greasy cheeseburger. Sid saw another barely concealed grimace cross Detective Taylor's face as his eyes scanned Walter's food filled mouth and the various sauces covering his already messy desk.

"Regarding?" Detective Taylor asked slowly.

"This case," Walter's tossed the file across his desk, clumsily knocking over an empty fast food container. "Dr. Hammerback believes it was a murder and wants to run some expensive tests to prove it." Detective Taylor frowned lightly as he picked up the file and began reading. His eyes read the facts of the case quickly and only a few silent moments passed before he lifted his eyes. "Well?" Walter's asked, his gaze telling the detective what his answer should be. Detective Taylor's eyes flickered to Sid and for a moment Sid saw a flicker of something he couldn't read pass through the man's blue eyes. Detective Taylor's gaze was very sharp and Sid got the impression that he could read more about Sid than Sid was totally comfortable with. A beat passed before he turned his gaze back to Walters.

"I think there is enough evidence of foul play to support the tests," Detective Taylor said, his eyes defiant as a scowl crossed his boss's face. Sid saw the anger in Walter's gaze as his mouth pressed into a firm line. He quickly snatched up the papers Sid held out for him to sign. Sid left as quickly as possible because the tension in the room was building with every passing second. He had a feeling Detective Taylor would be frequently assigned to dumpster duty in the upcoming weeks.

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Sid looked up as he heard the door to the morgue slide open. He felt a smile form on his lips as Detective Taylor stepped into the room.

"It's not often a homicide detective visits the land of the dead," Sid said as a greeting. Detective Taylor smiled slightly.

"My curiosity got the best of me," he said as he moved closer to the victim laying on the table in front of Sid.

"I have a feeling that happens often for you," Sid said lightly, his eyes watching Detective Taylor closely. The young detective gave nothing away as his eyes met Sid's. Even with the poor lighting and the dark shadows cast across his face, Sid could see a somber flicker in Detective Taylor's eyes as they landed on the young girl's body.

"Did your tests yield any answers for her?" Detective Taylor asked, his eyes not leaving the victim. Sid felt a sudden surge of hope in his chest and he smiled proudly.

"I'm filling out the paperwork to reopen the case as a murder investigation as we speak," he held up the clipboard in his hands. The ghost of a smile pulled at the corner of Detective Taylor's mouth and he nodded in satisfaction. A noticeable but not uncomfortable moment of silence passed between the two men. Sid smiled softly and hopped on his heels lightly. "I never thanked you for your help with Detective Walters earlier," he said.

"The truth is repayment enough," Detective Taylor said and Sid caught the sincerity of his words in his eyes.

"You think you'll find it?" Sid asked. "The truth, I mean," he added. The case had already been closed once and the evidence had already been examined and read incorrectly. As much as he wanted to see the young victim's murdered behind bars he knew the likelihood of catching him or her decreased as every moment passed. Detective Taylor nodded thoughtfully for a second.

"I think we will, Dr. Hammerback," he said, a glimmer of smile in his eyes. Sid grinned as he acknowledged what Detective Taylor's words meant…they would be working together. Sid felt a pinch of excitement he had not yet felt since he joined the ranks of NYPD employees. Detective Taylor tucked his hands into the deep pockets of his long, black coat and moved towards the door. "I expect a call when you finish up that paperwork, Dr. Hammerback," he said as he turned back.

"You can call me, Sid," Sid suggested with an eager smile. Detective Taylor hesitated for a moment before a small smile crossed his lips.

"Mac," he supplied his own name before he pushed through the doors and left. Sid turned back to his work with more enthusiasm than before. He had a feeling he had just found his first true friend in New York.

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Thank-you for reading and don't forget to review!


	2. Chapter 2

Oh my goodness. There were so many different versions of this chapter written, but I finally decided on this one. Something of its simplicity spoke of Mac and Stella so here it is! I may post those alternate versions in the future? I hope you enjoy and let me know who you want to see next!

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2001

Stella swiped her keycard through the panel on the metal door to the evidence locker and prayed. She had only been working in the building for a week and so far the keycard had failed to open almost every door she needed open. She was tired of running around the dark building looking for her partner, who was even less enthusiastic to help her. She didn't think she could take one more eye roll or scoff of disgust.

Her heart sank with relief as the door gave a slight beep and a green light flashed. She pushed open the door and stepped into the dark evidence room. The dim lights buzzed overhead and gave her limited visibility as she scanned the rows of tan boxes for her case number. The room in general smelled of mold and wasn't a place she wanted to stick around in. Thankfully, she found the box she needed on the first row and pulled it out. She balanced it on her hip as she retrieved her keycard to swipe out of the cage. She pulled the stubborn piece of plastic through the card reader once again but instead of green she was greeted by a red flash.

"No, no, no," she muttered to herself as she swiped the card again. The same rejecting red light flashed and was now accompanied by a low metallic locking sound. Her hand shook slightly as she tried one last time. The card reader gave her no reaction as she swiped her card. Stella peered at the small screen on the reader and saw that it was now blank and the lock was still firmly set in place. She gave a frustrated groan and set the evidence box on the floor, reaching for her phone. It looked like she would have to bother her partner again anyway. As she went to dial the number, she heard a shuffle from somewhere behind her. She froze her movements to listen more carefully and registered the sound of cardboard against metal as a evidence box was pushed onto a shelf. She squinted into the shadowed hallway behind her and caught a tall shadow. A moment later, a man turned the corner and she could have ran and hugged him out of pure relief. Thoughts of him being a possible crazed murderer didn't even register. Hell, this room wouldn't even let a trained officer of the law in let alone anyone else.

She caught sight of a gold badge clipped to his belt and smiled in relief. His features were obscured by the shadows cast from the dim lighting. She could tell he wore a black suit that fit his athletic figure well. He was taller than her, but around the same age, if not a little older. He glanced up at her as he came closer and she was greeted by kind blue eyes that flicked lightly from her to the door.

"How many times have you tried?" he spoke as he reached into his jacket pocket.

"Three times, but I think the dumb thing locked me out," she gestured at the piece of metal in frustration. He pulled out his own keycard as he stopped next to her. She glanced sideways at him as he studied the lock briefly. He swiped his card through but nothing happened. He nodded as if he had expected the reaction and let out a long breath.

"The lock has a built in safety protocol to prevent tampering. After more than two failed swipes it locks down until it is reactivated by a master key," he said as he turned to her. She felt all hope fading quickly.

"I'm guessing you don't have the master key?" She asked. He let out a short chuckle.

"Unfortunately, no," he said. "The only people with the master key are the company who installed the lock and Detective Walters," he added. Stella pulled out her phone again and scrolled through her contacts. "You're not going to get any service down here," he said as he leaned against the wall behind him. Stella glanced down and sure enough, she had zero bars.

"You seem awfully calm for someone who is trapped in a metal dungeon," Stella said, barely keeping the impatient snap out of her tone. The corners of his mouth twitched into a ghost of a smile.

"I've been in worse situations," he said, his voice as calm as his relaxed posture. She rubbed a sweaty hand across her forehead and glanced down at the evidence box next to her feet. Her only hope was that Detective Harper, her partner, would grow tired of waiting for the evidence and would come looking for her. He sure as hell wasn't going to notice her absence otherwise. If not, she could pray that the man next to her had a more caring partner who would come searching for him. It was late and most of the hallways of the lab had been empty before she had come down to the evidence locker, so odds were that no one else would be around to find them. She glanced up at the man, whose eyes had been fixed on the box next to her.

"New case?" he asked, nodding his head towards the flimsy cardboard container.

"Old case, new evidence," she said. He nodded silently. She looked around him and deduced that the lack of evidence in hand meant a completed case. Poor guy was probably headed home after a long shift before she doomed them both to a long night. She glanced up at him and caught a better look at his face as he stood just below one of the few overhead lights.

He was handsome enough for a second glance while walking down the sidewalk and it was a pleasantly natural attractiveness. His thin nose and striking eyes gave way to a sharp jawline that was softened slightly by dark stubble. He had dark hair that was cut short and had a military feel. He looked tired enough to have worked several long shifts yet his suit remained neat and unwrinkled, which added to her military assumption. His blue eyes were his most alluring feature and even though she could see the gentle laugh lines crinkled around the corners, something darker lurked behind them. Her eyes trailed down to his left hand, where she found a thick gold band. Maybe there was hope that his wife would come looking for him sooner rather than later.

"You're working the Golding case," his voice broke Stella from her thoughts. Stella frowned in confusion but he nodded towards the name on the box. "I remember Detective Harper working the case a few months back," he said. He studied her for a moment. "You must be his new partner." It was Stella's turn to give a silent nod.

"Mac Taylor," he introduced himself and stuck out his hand towards her.

"Stella Bonasera,"she gave a small smile as she shook his hand.

They stood in silence for a few heartbeats.

"Looks like we are going to be stuck here for a while...do you want to toss some theories off me?" He asked, his eyes once again indicating the evidence box.

"I could use another brain on this one," she said, grinning brightly at the idea of having someone to work through the evidence with. She had assumed she would be doing it alone long into the night.

Three hours later...

Detective Taylor was a lot more than just an idle body to toss ideas off of. He had carefully studied the old blood samples and crime scene photos, developing several of his own theories. He had given Stella several leads to run with.

"I would go back and get a DNA sample from the teacher, I think he could be your guy," Detective Taylor said as he tossed one of the folders into the box. Stella opened her mouth to reply when he jerked his head to the side suddenly and held up a finger. His eyes darted towards her as he stood slowly. "You hear that?" He asked. Stella listened carefully and heard the familiar sound of loose change jingling in a pocket. A second later, Detective Harper rounded the corner, a wicked grin on his face.

"I thought you got lost," he said, his hands in his pockets as he sneered through the gaps in the metal door.

"Only took you three hours," Detective Taylor glared at Harper. "Do you have the master key?"

"Do I look like an idiot, Taylor? I didn't walk all the way down here for the cell connection," Harper snapped. Detective Taylor's jaw tensed but he remained silent as Harper pulled out the key and released the lock. Detective Taylor bent and stacked all of the files into the box before handing it to Stella. He gave her a slight smile that was almost becoming familiar to her.

"Good luck with that keycard, Detective Bonasera," he held her gaze for a brief moment before he turned away. With a slight glare at Harper, he stepped out of the room and disappeared around the corner.

Even after spending only three hours with the man, Stella felt like she knew Mac Taylor, but at the same time, didn't actually know anything about him. Something about him spoke of mystery... the good news was that Stella had always enjoyed a good riddle.


	3. Chapter 3

Alright, it's long overdue but I believe it is time for Flack and Mac to meet. Aren't their rhyming names just adorable?

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2002

Flack grumbled quietly to himself as he tossed another Chinese take-out container out of his way. The air around him smelled both sweet and sour. He held back the urge to puke. The last thing he needed was to embarrass himself further, especially since he wasn't taken seriously in the first place. He had immediately been assigned dumpster diving duty by his partner as they had arrived at the scene. His partner was now no where to be found and Flack had the feeling he was already back at the station with the other senior detectives. Flack watched something red and slimy drip onto his suit and his shoulders slumped in defeat. Sure the suit wasn't anything fancy and was almost two sizes too big, but when he had slipped on the large jacket this morning, he had felt a surge of pride because he had a job that required a suit. He had finally made it or at least had thought he had. Now he wasn't so sure. He was pretty sure his new partner was a dud and had little interest in investigation, let alone mentoring. Flack would be lucky if he managed to keep his job and a promotion was out of the question at this point.

"What are you doing?" a deep voice spoke from behind him. Flack whirled around, noodles flying from the take-out container in his hand. His eyes landed on a man standing a few feet away with a frown etched on his face. Flack opened his mouth wordlessly and he cringed inwardly as his eyes darted to the gold badge on the man's belt. He suddenly felt like an idiot standing waist deep in a dumpster full of rotting noodles and miscellaneous sauces. He probably looked ridiculous with his over-sized suit. The senior detective in front of him had a nice suit. It didn't look overly expensive but it fit him well and gave him a professional appearance.

"I'm searching for the murder weapon," Flack said, his voice quieter than he would have liked. The detective's eyes skimmed the various sauces on stains on Flack's jacket.

"I see that," his voice was void of the mocking Flack had expected. "More specifically, who told you to search here?"

"My partner, Detective Wallace," Flack said, dropping the container in his hand and trying to fix the slump in his shoulders. The man nodded slowly, his face unreadable.

"You're the rookie?" the detective's question was more of a statement. Flack simply nodded wordlessly. The detective let out a sigh and Flack saw a small flash of pity in his eyes. "We already found the weapon. It was in the suspect's discarded jacket," he said slowly. Flack felt his stomach flip and wasn't sure if his anger or embarrassment was stronger.

"Oh," was all he could say. There was a moment of awkward silence as the man carefully surveyed the dumpsters around them.

"I wouldn't take it too personally, Wallace likes his fair share of jokes, especially when it involves new detectives," the man said, his eyes warmer than before. Flack managed a tight smile, as if it was no big deal and he could laugh along with everyone. "I haven't seen him around though," the man looked around them once again, as if expecting Wallace to show up.

"He said he was going to head back to the station," Flack said and turned his body so he could climb out of the dumpster. The man's face hardened slightly.

"He left you out here alone?" he asked, a slight bite to his tone. Flack looked up, not sure what to say. He didn't want any trouble and he still didn't know who this detective was. The man read the answer on his face and anger flashed briefly. Flack struggled to find proper footing on the metal bin. A hand appeared in front of him and he looked up again to see the man extending his hand to help. Flack relaxed gratefully and used the leverage to balance as he hopped down from the dumpster.

"Thanks," Flack said, pausing slightly as he realized he didn't know the man's name.

"Detective Mac Taylor, I head up the Crime Lab," he supplied as he stuck out his hand. Flack tried to keep his expression neutral, but he knew Detective Taylor was a big deal in the department. Flack felt the flare of embarrassment again. This was not the way he wanted to meet the head of the New York Crime Lab.

"Detective Don Flack," he said as he shook Detective Taylor's hand. Flack grimaced as he caught a whiff of his own stench, but if Detective Taylor could smell him, he didn't let it show. Detective Taylor eyed Flack for a thoughtful moment.

"You know what, my team is stretched pretty thin right now, so I could use a hand with the perimeter. I need another set of eyes to check for our point of origin," he said casually. Flack straightened immediately.

"I can do that, sir," he said, feeling the first surge of excitement.

"Alright, Detective, let's go," the senior detective said as he headed down the dark street. Flack grinned boldly. He had been called 'rookie' or 'new guy' all day and being called 'detective' for the first time made him feel like he deserved the title.

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After checking all of the alleys and building surrounding their crime scene, they arrived back at the parking lot where the body was discovered. Along the way, Flack had listened intently as Detective Taylor spewed out a couple of tips as they walked. He was eager to ask questions, but he held back and asked only a few...he didn't want to annoy the man even though Detective Taylor responded to each with a knowledgeable patience.

Once they were back at the main scene, Flack noticed several other detectives taking photos and collecting evidence. He doubted that Detective Taylor had needed him to walk the perimeter with him, but Flack didn't even care. For a moment he had felt like he was not only doing his job, but that he was actually a part of the process.

"I've got something I need to take care of at the precinct, you need a lift?" Detective Taylor said as he picked up a large, silver case. Flack thought briefly of refusing, embarrassed that he had been left without a ride, but thought better of it. He could use the short drive to ask at least two more questions.

"Thanks," Flack said with a casual shrug.

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During the drive, Detective Taylor surprised him by handing him a small slip of paper.

"When you get back to the precinct, hook up with Detective Wallace and you run down these addresses. When you get them, give me a call. Wallace has my number," he instructed. Flack nodded enthusiastically. He could already feel the case picking up speed and he was eager to start solving the big puzzle.

They entered the precinct and parted ways. Flack watched Detective Taylor head towards Wallace's desk where he sat lounging behind his computer. Flack grimaced as he caught parts of the conversation. The words 'irresponsible', 'rookie', and 'dangerous' made the message very clear. Flack risked a glance in their direction and caught the light blush creeping up Wallace's neck. He fought the satisfied smirk that tugged on his lips and suddenly felt less embarrassed about his little dumpster adventure. Maybe he would get that mentoring after all.

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So, I think Danny is next? Just review and let me know what you thought! As always, your opinions and suggestions are appreciated!


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